I hate weeds, especially those that spring up out of nowhere and smother my tender garden vegetables....my seedbeds just getting started; my transplanted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Darn those weeds! They compete with my garden plants for nutrients, sunlight, and water....This is not a good thing.
There can, however, be a good side to weeds. Some of them are edible. This is something I learned as a child, when my father would take me foraging. He referred often to a book by Eull Gibbons, Hunting the Wild Asparagus, published before I was born. He would say often of weeds...."If you can't beat them, eat them!" and that's what we proceeded to do. However, some of the weeds that he gathered proved to be too much trouble, like pokeweed, or Poke. It had to be boiled at least twice to remove the toxins so that it was safe to eat. Only the tender young greens were edible. Other parts of the plants were poisonous, including the bright purple berries. Even as a child, eating Poke seemed to be a bad idea. I mention this because one has to be very careful when choosing to forage weeds or anything else. Identification is key. You really do need to know your plants, and know what you know and what you don't. That said, some of our "weeds" are pretty tasty.
A few weeks ago, I gave a workshop on edible weeds for the Neighborhood Farm Initiative's Open House. I talked about three very safe and delicious greens that are prolific in the Mamie D. Lee Community garden. These are considered weeds mostly because they are growing in the wrong spot. Some of our gardeners actually grow amaranth in their plots, and one can find lambsquarters and purslane for sale in farmers markets. I guided workshop participants in identifying and gathering these greens, and then using them to make a delicious salad!
Happy gardening, and weeding!
-Christina Scheltema
